Improvement in seeding-machines



H. GROFOOT.

Roller and Harrow.

NO. 30,871 Patented Dec. 11, 1860.

Witnesseslnventurz,

AWL PHOTO-LITHO. CO. NM (OSRORNE'S PROCESS) UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HORACE OROFOOT, OF TARBOROUGH, NORTH CAROLINA.

IMPROVEMENT IN SEEDING MACHINES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 30,871, dated December11, 1860."

To all whom "it may concern:

Be it known that I, HORACE GRoFooT, of Tarborough, in the county ofEdgecombe and State of North Carolina, have invented a new and ImprovedCombination of a Harrow and Roller; and I do hereby declare that thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, referencebeing had to the annexed drawings, making a part of this specification,in which- Figure 1 is a side sectional view of my invention, taken inthe line a w, Fig. 2; Fig. 2, a plan or top view of same.

- Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the twofigures.

This invention consists in a peculiar combination and arrangement of arollerand rotary harrows, as hereinafter described, whereby the wholearea of the ground over which the machine passes will be fully actedupon and seed properly covered with pulverized earth and the same rolledand compacted on the seed.

To enable those skilled in the art to fully understand and construct myinvention, 1 will proceed to describe it.

A represents a rectangular frame, the back part of which is supported bya roller, B, formed of sections a placed side by side on a common shaft,0. In Fig. 2 the roller is shown as being formed of three sections; butmore may be employed, if necessary. Each section a has a large hole madecentrally through it, saiolholes being considerably larger in diameterthan the shaft O,and the outer end of each outer section has a metalplate, I), secured over its opening, the plates I) having squareopenings 0 through 'them, in which squares on the shaft 0 fit. By thismode of constructing and arranging the roller each part or section a isallowed a certain degree of play or movement on the shaft 0, andconsequently is' allowed to rise or fall to suit the inequalities of theground, the play of the sections a being equal to the difference betweenthe diameter of the shaft 0 and the holes in the sections a, (see dottedlines in Fig. 1.).

On one end of the shaft 0 there is placed a toothed wheel, D, whichgears. into a bevelwheel, E, at the lower end of an inclined shaft, F,the upper end of which has a bevel-wheel, G, on it, that gears into asimilar wheel, H, at the end of a horizontal shaft, I, on the frame A.On the shaft I there are placed pinions 0,

two of which gear into pinions d d at the upper ends of vertical shaftsJ J in the frame A. The other pinion 0 gears into a pinion, e, on ashaft,f, which has a pinion, g, on its front end, th at gears into apinion, h, on avertical shaft, K. The shafts J J K are square at theirlower parts, and on each of said shafts a circular harrow, L, is placed,provided with the usual or any other proper shaped teeth. Each harrow Lhas a hollow cylinder, M, attached vertically to it, and the shafts J JKpass through these cylinders, the lower ends of which have metal platesi attached, with square openings, through which the shafts J J K pass.By this arrangement of the harrows L they areallowed a certain degree ofplay on their shafts J JK in every direction except a forward one, thelatter movement being prevented by barsjjin the framing. The harrowstherefore are allowed to conform to the inequalities of the ground, thecylinders M controlling the degree of play or movement of the harrows.The upper end of each cylinder M has a projection, It, and beneath theseprojections the forked ends of bent levers N are fitted on a rod, 0,placed transversely in the framing the levers N, extending up in frontof the drivers seat P. By operating the levers N the harrows may heraised, when necessary, on their shafts.

On the front part of the frame A there is placed a hopper, Q, belowwhich there is an oscillating screen, It, operated from the shaft 0 byeccentrics and shafts S T.

The seed is distributed on the ground by the screen R, the seed fallingon the screen from the hopper Q. The harrows are all rotated in the samedirection, and consequently their adjoining edges move in reversedirections, and this has a tendency to keep the harrows free from weeds,trash, &c. The whole device is extremely simple and efficient.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

The arrangement of the roller B with the rotary harrowsL L, shaftI,cylindersM M, shafts J I, and lever N, in the manner herein shown, andfor the purpose set forth.

' HORACE 'QROFOOT.

Witnesses:

R. H. GARRETT, R. L. WILLIAMS.

